


Empathizer

by azuredeity



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Not Beta Read, but there's a cute scene in the end, what happens if rinne left for a short moment and then decides to come back
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:01:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24490957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azuredeity/pseuds/azuredeity
Summary: Don't shut the door, don't slam it shut.Keep it open, even just 1 centimeter.Even just enough for faint light to leak through the crack.Please leave me a way to return.[ - Rikaisha, 22/7 ]It's been a month since Rinne left the city to go back to his village. However, he is still stuck holding onto the memories that he had back there, especially his time with Niki.He recalls the promise that Niki had made to him, that he would be always following him no matter where he goes just to stay by his side however he pushed him away.He realized how Niki was his one and only empathizer.
Relationships: Amagi Rinne/Shiina Niki
Comments: 7
Kudos: 48





	Empathizer

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO !! I wasn't able to finish IzuLeo week due to having a writers block and I haven't caught up with writing for my IzuKao fic hehe
> 
> I decided to force myself to write a fic that contained 3k words (but I didn't reach that goal sadly) and write it based off a song from 22/7, Rikaisha. 
> 
> I think I managed to do it quite well !! This song is really different from all of the other female idol groups I listened to and it's a great source of inspo ngl
> 
> Rikaisha translates into empathizer which is the title / theme for this fic!!
> 
> anyways enough rambling here is the fic that i made to help me cure my writer's block lol

It has been a month since Rinne Amagi let go of his life as an idol. 

Was he even happy with the decision he had made? Hardly, he had felt so empty when he finally returned to his village. But there’s one thing that he can be glad about, is the fact that he had finally given his younger brother a chance to live his youth, to become the kind of human that Rinne had always wanted as a kid since he felt so controlled by his peers. He wondered what everyone is doing right now, when he is finally gone. Could they be still recovering from the havoc that he had caused a few months ago? Is Crazy:B active on idol activities without him? Is his younger brother enjoying his life? Is Niki doing just great without him? There’s a lot of questions that circled around his head. Who is he to even expect an answer? Rinne had cut off all ties with them before he left. No one would probably want to contact him after the countless careers he managed to ruin. Rinne’s attention finally focused on one of his elders who was advising him that he should marry someone soon enough to keep the bloodline going. Does he really want to get married right at this time? Sure, living alone will be hard for him since he’s the one who’s supposed to take over the current leader anytime soon. Arranged marriages were probably crucial to keep everything going smoothly. Honestly just talking about marriage made Rinne miss the meals that Niki would prepare after a hard day.

“Are you even listening?” his elder asked. Rinne took a moment to compose himself from all of the jumbled up thoughts that he was having during the lecture he was receiving. It took him a while to clear his head from all of those. There’s probably a time and place to contemplate on those. The elder sighed as he stood up, “Well, it looks like you just can’t focus. We will have this talk tomorrow. You should get some rest, we honestly don’t want to lose you once again. Being in the city really took a toll on your thinking hm? They said before stomping out of the small cottage. Rinne is finally left alone once again. Finally, he could breathe normally from all of the responsibilities that he had to accomplish from the time he disappeared from the village. 

Everything was just a pain to deal with but it’s the fate that he decided to finally accept after so many years running away from it. Rinne laid down his back on the soft tatami sheets that the small cottage had. His crystal teal eyes focused on the small light source light above him as he thought about the things that he did back when he was in the city. The time where Niki had discovered him in the middle of nowhere and decided to take him in his apartment right after that encounter, it was almost like the two of them were inseparable. Despite the constant bickerings they would have, they still remained together no matter what happened. Rinne recalls the time where Niki had told him that he will always follow him no matter where he goes because he promised himself that.

_ “I’ll go with you hand in hand Rinne-kun. No matter what I will always be with you.”  _

Did Rinne even deserve the love that Niki had given him from the very start? 

* * *

There’s one thing Rinne did not know when he left a month ago. 

Crazy:B went on indefinite hiatus. It was Niki’s decision and both Kohaku and HiMERU agreed that it was best of them to disband for a while because their chaotic leader wasn’t around anymore. They had hoped that Rinne would someday return to become an idol once again and that the unit that he started wil reform once again. For Niki, Rinne’s sudden departure made things more lonely in his own home. There would be some days where he couldn’t even cook for himself and had resulted in prepping up instant noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He knew that it was unhealthy and he shouldn’t get used to it but it was so hard not to cook a proper meal for some reason. Was it because that cooking food reminded him of Rinne begging for some? Niki probably got used to the nights where the gambler would always intrude on their “shared apartment” (even though it was Niki’s to begin with) and would always ask for a feast for dinner. As much as he claims that cooking for him was a bother, he still does it anyways since he enjoys it. 

Another thing that Niki sometimes does is to keep the door unlocked during the night. A part of him just hopes that Rinne will someday come barging in “their” apartment once more, finally deciding to return to their lives and become an idol once more. Although he only does this on certain occasions since he’s afraid of the wrong person charging in his apartment and it was not Rinne. There would be times where Niki would find himself rereading the texts that he had sent him. One of the things that he actually likes about Rinne is how much he can care for a friend. The cook would always receive messages asking how was he doing or if he’s feeling unwell and many more other messages. Honestly, he thinks that it’s a cute gap between this gambling addiction to caring for others. Reading his messages over the years of trying to handle him felt warm. It was like Rinne was right beside him, laying down at the soft carpet floor that his apartment had and complaining how much money he had lost thanks to him gambling earlier. Niki then realized that he had cut ties with him a month ago and that he is probably never going to receive another text from him or hear his usual complaints of losing a lot of money because of his earlier luck in gambling. 

Niki is exhausted by these thoughts. He doesn’t know why he is still holding on to Rinne going back. Both HiMERU and Kohaku had probably accepted by then that Rinne will never return and that Crazy:B’s existence will just become a memory that people will not remember for the better. He clutches onto the smartphone that he was holding as tears started streaming down from his cheeks. He shouldn’t be crying over this thing right? In fact, he should be relieved that the extra burden won't be there anymore but then his promise to himself would not have a purpose. 

_ “Rinne-kun, come back you idiot.”  _

* * *

Rinne doesn’t even know why he decided to go back to his village to finally fulfill his duties as the new things. 

Another lecture from the same old people. These relatives of his are so set on him becoming the king of this tribe. Honestly, he hated it, why did it have to be him out of the countless males they could have picked from? Rinne’s attention wasn’t at the lectures anymore. His head was still filled with questions that he knew he would never get the answer to. 

_ “Why aren’t you listening again just like yesterday?” _

_ “You’ve been acting kind of strange ever since you came back from the city. Is everything okay?” _

His elders’ kept asking the same questions that he didn’t even bother answering. He hated them pretending that they cared about his well being because simply they just wanted a king that would rule over their tribe for the next years to come. After recollecting himself once more, he then faced the elders with a smile. “Could you excuse me for a moment? I just want to get some fresh air,” Rinne said as he slowly stood up and left the cottage to go visit the nearby lake in their area. As he walks, he watches the people who are just living their daily lives. Children playing around, a group of males trying to impress women who are busy weaving cloths and a few people training here and there. He was envious of them, how could they live their daily lives without a worry in the world? It’s probably because they don’t have the burden of becoming the next leader. Once he arrived at the river, he then grabbed a small rock and threw it to the water to let out his frustration. Tears started falling down his cheeks as he started throwing more rocks into the river. Rinne knew that this was his fate, in order to free the younger brother he loved the most and also finally free the people that he had harmed thanks to his antics. He knew all the things that he did at the city was finally over and that it was finally time to get back to the responsibilities that he had let go a long time ago. But just why is he mad? Why is he getting frustrated over the fact that he’s no longer an idol? Why is he still thinking about the rest of Crazy:B? Why is Niki the person he wants to see so badly? The last question felt so weird for him.

Everyday, he would always wonder about how Niki was doing without him. Did he get mad at him because he pushed him away? Rinne knew he had to because it was for his safety. He vividly remembered the tears that Niki had shed on the day he had left to go back. He couldn’t even bear seeing his face like that, did he really deserve the cook’s tears anyway? Rinne is the type of person who isn’t worth crying for, or so he thought himself.

_ “Are you going to come back Rinne-kun?” _ _   
  
_

_ “Niki-kyun, let me wipe those tears for you. They don’t suit your pretty face after all~” _

_ “How could you be so cheerful Rinne…? I don’t understand.” _

Rinne also remembered that the last time Niki called his name, he didn’t attach an honorific. He was simply called Rinne. 

Another lonely day for Niki. Well, he had lunch with HiMERU and Kohaku to catch up on things and talk about if they still intended to perform as Crazy:B even when Rinne doesn’t return. 

The moment he got home to his apartment, he slumped into the bed where he and Rinne used to sleep. Honestly the first time that he had slept in his apartment was weird. Niki had insisted on getting an extra futon for him but then he asked if they could sleep at the same bed together. Of course, isn’t sharing a bed a thing that couple’s usually do? And besides, Rinne was someone he had just met, there’s no way they would sleep together. But for some reason, he was able to convince him. To his surprise, it wasn’t that bad when he slept on the same bed with Rinne. For some reason, he felt warm and thus they started sleeping together on the same bed. 

Niki laughed to himself when he recalled that memory. Nowadays, the bed feels cold without Rinne. Just thinking about it makes him wonder if he was going to loudly knock at the door right after a hard day of gambling his money away. Oh how much he missed the times where Rinne would tackle him on his bed and tickle him until Niki decides to make dinner for the two of them. 

He just couldn’t help it after all. Niki recalled all of the memories he had with him. He loved being with him. That’s why when Rinne told him that he planned to go back to his village. He asked him if he could come along with him. 

But then, he remembers the day when Rinne continued to push him away. Niki was so frustrated. How could he smile when he finally decided to leave his entire life in the city behind? He was like his one and only empathizer.

Who would be there to wipe his tears? 

Tonight, he decides to unlock the door for Rinne to get in if he decides to come back. 

* * *

Midnight, Rinne finally decides he had enough of it. 

He had made sure everyone in the village was asleep so nobody would see him running away once again. Rinne finally decided that he will never return for good. He will be an idol once again, he and Hiiro will have a normal life as siblings and he will finally see Niki once more.

He finally changed into “normal” clothing, he grabbed the large camping bag that he had brought home from the city and tiptoed quietly outside. He’s glad that he still had some stash of money so that he could take the train home. Well are there even trains that travel at this time? He’s pretty sure the stations are already closed. 

When he finally reached the train station, he was surprised that there was still a train that looked like it was going to travel at this hour. Rinne immediately rushed to the train so that he wouldn't get behind. He’s lucky that he managed to get inside just in time when the train closed the doors and started moving. Tired, he then flopped himself in the nearest seat he could find. He was so lucky that he found a socket near his chair and then proceeded to plug his phone that had been dead for a month now.

_ “Should I text him…?”  _

**_Please leave me a way to return._ **

As soon as the train conductor got his payment, he closed his eyes shut. Hoping by the time he wakes up, he will be back in Tokyo once more. To finally live the life that he always wanted to have. 

* * *

Niki woke up to the sudden buzz of his phone. 

When he saw that it was a message notification from Rinne of all people, he was surprised. Niki was glad that he didn’t give up on Rinne and then proceeded to text the other two members of Crazy:B about their leader’s sudden message early in the morning. As soon as he sent the message to the two of them, he then received a call from the other male. The cook picked it up as soon as possible.

The first thing that Niki heard was Rinne’s rare soft voice. He usually had this kind of voice during mornings or times when he is serious and is focused on what he was doing.  _ “Niki. Could you come to the place where we first met? Not in the middle of the alley way of course. You know there’s a park nearby right? I’ll be seeing you there.”  _ As soon as Rinne gave away his own location, Niki started getting ready to leave. He wanted to see him as soon as possible. There’s a lot of things that he wants to say to Rinne. 

Rushing through the early morning rush of Tokyo, Niki finally managed to make it to the place Rinne was talking about. It was the morning and there were a whole lot of people around which made it extremely hard to find the red head. Niki looked around, hoping to find the person he had been waiting for a month now. He then suddenly felt a familiar warmth behind his back and he had recognized that warmth. 

_ “I’m… sorry for pushing you away. I didn’t realize how much you cared.”  _ Rinne’s voice cracked as he said those very words, it sounded like he was beginning to cry. Niki then wrapped his hands with his, not caring if anybody did recognize them in this busy crowd. “I’m sorry for hurting you. Were you worried about me this whole time? I don’t deserve it to be honest,” he added.

_ “Of course I was worried about you. I had faith that you would return soon enough. Besides, like I said before. I’ll always be at your side no matter what.” _

Niki let go of the hug and then faced Rinne, holding his hands tightly as he leaned in to give a kiss to his lips.  _ “You're my one and only empathizer after all Rinne,”  _ he softly said as he let go of the kiss. “Let’s start over once again. Crazy:B will stand on stage once more now that you’re back and also…” 

“Also…?”

“I love you. Rinne.”

“I love you also, Niki.” 

  
  
  
  



End file.
